Emergency Services

HAH Emergency Services, a division of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, provides emergency preparedness and operations management services to 130 healthcare coalition members throughout the state of Hawaii including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home care and hospice, community health centers, air and ground ambulance, blood banks and clinical laboratories.

These services are provided in close collaboration with the State Department of Health (DOH) and other federal, state, and county agencies.

Hawaii Hospitals Participate in RIMPAC 2016

HAH Emergency Services, a division of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, is coordinating the participation of 18 Hawaii hospitals on four islands in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) which is part of RIMPAC 2016 exercise on July 14 and 15. Read More…

Prepare for Active Shooters and Other Threats

The recent shooting at and Orland nightclub has highlighted the need for organizations to be prepared in case of an active shooter or other active threat on their premises.

An active shooter event resulting in mass casualties has unfortunately happened before in Hawaii, when a gunman killed seven people in Kakaako in 1999, and could happen again.

HAH Emergency Services has assisted Hawaii’s hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare organizations with advance preparations for this scenario through active member education and assistance with planning, drills and tabletop exercises.

Online education on the Learning Management System is accessible via the HAH Emergency Services web page, and in-person awareness level briefings on this topic are available at no cost to members.

A hazard vulnerability assessment conducted for the healthcare coalition has included the possibility of an active shooter as a “high risk” and “high vulnerability” for more than two years.

For any HAH members wanting to know more about resources, please contact Chris Crabtree, DrPH, CEM, Interim Director, HAH Emergency Services, at 808-599-2899, or director@hah-emergency.net.

Simulated Crash at Hilo International Airport

HAH Emergency Services supported a disaster preparedness exercise at Hilo International Airport coordinated by the Department of Transportation. In October Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF), local police, fire and EMS conducted an exercise where they simulated response to the crash of a Boeing 737 upon landing.

HAH Emergency Services deployed a 15-person Kalawao Rescue Enhanced Strike Team aboard a US Coast Guard HC-130, in order to establish a Disaster Aeromedical Staging Facility (DASF) on the airport tarmac, thanks to the aviation support of USCG Air Station Barbers Point. The Kalawao Rescue team set up a DASF within 15 minutes of arrival in Hilo and began triaging and providing stabilizing care to simulated casualties. A liaison officer was also deployed to Hilo Medical Center to coordinate casualty movement. A Sim-Man 3G computerized manikin stepped in as a simulated casualty, and was flown back to Honolulu aboard the HC-130 within 90 minutes.

The exercise allowed the participating agencies to practice a coordinated response under a unified command with on-scene responders and to test interoperable communications. The exercise was a great success and part of local responding agencies’ efforts to maintain the highest level of disaster preparedness.